Richard Harrison wrote:
Richard Clark, KB7QHC wrote:
"(don`t fall for the monster under the bed stories of gazillion volts at
a bajillion amps)."

It's not a monster under the bed. But it is a heaven of a blast!

The actual USAF specification for lightning strikes is based on a
probability model.

It's been 20 years since I read the actual wording, but the values are;

90% of all lightning strikes in the USA are described as falling within
the spectrum defined by a strike with the following characteristics:

1) Double strike. First peak 100,000 amperes with a second strike of
50,000 amperes. Full Width Half Maximum [approximately 50% pulsewidth]
of 100 useconds for each peak.

2) Rise time from 0 to peak is 1 usecond on both strikes.

3) Fall time is a decaying exponential from peak to approximately 500
amperes sustaining current in the lightning channel for 300 milliseconds.

4) Electric field intensity prior to prestrike is greater than 10,000
volts per meter.

Conclusion: Lightning has lots of energy. Systems have been designed to
not only survive a direct strike but to operate through the direct
strike. All it takes is $$$$$$.

Note: 50% of all strikes use the same pulse width model but with a
reduced amplitude of 20,000 and 10,000 amperes for the peak values.

W1MCE
Program Chief Engineer, retired
USAF MX MIssile RS/RV, WS-118